Monday, October 23, 2006

Final Week Frantics - Day 1

Check out this sailing ship hull that was sitting in the back of the boat yard. We think it is an America's Cup racing sailboat Stars & Stripes from a few years ago. The whole hull is painted with whales, dolphins, fish, and turtles and signed by that fantastic marine artist, Wyland.

Pretty cool huh? I wonder what THAT cost? Hey, I've got a son who is an artist, yeah, maybe he'll do something for our boat....Anyway, busy day today!!! Only 7 more shopping/chore days until we sail off for the grand adventure.

So what did we do today?

Removed jib sail from rolling furler, man-handle the massive quantities of stiff dacron fabric over the side of the boat and into two carts (because the sail was too big for one cart) without dropping it in the water. Roll the carts together down the dock and up to the car, repositioning the sail each time it slipped out of the cart.

Spread sail out in the parking lot to fold up neatly (so we can carry it into the sail repair shop and not look so much like "junior sailors"). The sail needs some seams re-inforced.

Adjust rigging so that the roller furler works easier.

Go out to breakfast at local coffeeshop (yippeee!)

Call dentist to see if I can get in to have a molar tooth fixed that cracked off one side. Why did this have to happen just when I'm getting ready to sail off to Mexico??? I've never had a cracked tooth - I'm just getting old and falling apart.

Drive over to sail repair shop and drop off sail. Beg to have it back by Friday.

Drive over to the nice dentist who happens to be the husband of a new friend of mine (who owns a knitting store - Bonita Knitting) to get tooth fixed for a crown. Have to go back on Friday for new crown - they had to "rush" the crown creation, but it will be ready by Friday.

Buy new stainless steel cotter pins for the turnbuckles on the rigging (Jones discovered that the ones we had were the wrong size when he took the sail down first thing in the morning).

Call the boat insurance company to get them to send a spanish language " binder" that states our boat is insured in Mexico.

Buy insulated reflective material to cover the 3 front windows if we get really hot in the tropics.

Call credit card company to let them know that we will be using the charge card in Mexico so they won't but a hold on mexican transations

Buy new dinghy fuel hose & bulb pump at engine supply store.

Register with the local marine store (Downwind Marine) so that we can just email or call in orders and they will be able to charge our card - we don't want to be blabbing our credit card number over the Mexican phone system.

Clean out our van, getting it ready to sell.

Drop off the van to get it "detailed".

Pick up a rental car

Pick up some cheap chinese food for dinner

Go to the post office and mail important packages.

Jones got a hair cut. His natural curls were so adorable!!! But, he got tired of smashing them into his hat and wanted to look respectable for the Mexican officials.

Jonesy & Terry's Adventures

We quit the jobs, sold the house, sold the car & furniture, and got rid of all our stuff.
We live aboard our 50-foot Gulfstar Sailmaster, NIKI WIKI, and open-ended cruised
in Mexico, Central America, thru the Panama Canal, and the Western Caribbean. After 8 years in the tropics, we are finally sailing north along the eastern seaboard of Florida and beyond. Yes, we're still going wherever our vagabond spirits and the winds take us, grabbing new adventures along the way.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
that you didn’t do than by the ones you do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain